Miniature bowling alley

ABSTRACT

A game of skill comprising a portable miniature bowling alley mountable on any stable surface, as a tabletop. The alley has a combined pin spotter and backstop pivotable between upright and horizontal positions and preferably used with a hand-held pin loading means to spot some or all of the pins. A ball and pin separator permits toppled pins to fall into a pin tray while directing the balls back via gravity flow to the players. A ball delivery chute enables the player to aim and deliver the ball onto the alley with precision at any point, velocity and direction with or without a hook.

United States Patent [191 Collins [451 Sept. 2, 1975 MINIATURE BOWLING ALLEY [21] Appl. No.: 399,297

OTHER PUBLICATIONS Kenner Advertisement, Kenner Products Co., 1966 catalog.

Primary ExaminerAnton O. Oechsle Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Sellers and Brace ABSTRACT A game of skill comprising a portable miniature bowling alley mountable on any stable surface, as a tabletop. The alley has a combined pin spotter and backstop pivotable between upright and horizontal positions and preferably used with a hand-held pin loading means to spot some or all of the pins. A ball and pin separator permits toppled pins to fall into a pin tray while directing the balls back via gravity flow to the players. A ball delivery chute enables the player to aim and deliver the ball onto the alley with precision at any point, velocity and direction with or without a hook.

4 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PATENTED SEP 2 I975 SHEET 1 BF 2 PATENTEB SEP 2 I975 sum 2 of 2 MINIATURE BOWLING ALLEY This invention relates to amusement devices, and more particularly to a precision bowling alley mountable on any stable surface and having a hand-held ball delivery chute for dispatching the ball onto the alley in a desired direction and with or without hook.

There is provided by this invention a miniature portable bowling alley of precision construction permitting competitive play with complete freedom to exercise a full range of playing maneuvers and playing expertise. These objectives are made possible in major part by the provision of a specially designed ball delivery chute separable from the alley and adapted to be manipulated and positioned in a wide range of positions in order to deliver the ball onto the alley at a desired velocity, direction and position crosswise of the alley and with or without spin on the ball. The chute is provided with stop means at its lower end engageable with any portion of the foul line across the rear end of the alley. The upper end of the chute is appropriately shaped to permit the player to spin the ball in either direction and at varying rates as it is released; and holding the chute at any selected inclination to the horizontal is utilized to vary the velocity of the ball as it reaches the alley.

The forward end of the alley utilizes a pin and ball separator overlying a pin collecting tray. A combined ball stop, ball and pin deflector and pin spotter is pivotally supported crosswise of the forward end of the alley and serves, when lowered, to expedite spotting all or any portion of the pins quickly and precisely. An adjustable support is insertable on either side of the alley as necessary to facilitate leveling the alley.

Accordingly it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a miniature bowling alley precisely constructed to scale and accurately duplicating the capability and versatility of play of standard professional alleys.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a' miniature bowling alley incorporating a pin and ball separator together withmeans for collecting the pins at the forward end and returning the ball to the rearward playing end.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a miniature bowling alley provided with a combination pin spotter and stop.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a bowling alley having a pin spotter constructed to cooperate with a hand-held pin loading device.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a miniature bowling alley having a highly versatile chute for delivering the ball onto the alley at any point, direction and velocity and with or without hook.

These and other more specific objects will appear upon reading the following specification and claims and upon considering in connection therewith the attached drawing to which they relate.

Referring now to the drawing in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of an illustrative embodiment of the invention bowling alley;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross sectional view on an enlarged scale;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 on FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along line 4--4 on FIG. 2;

FIG. 5. is a cross-sectional view taken on an enlarged scale along line 5-5 on FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view longitudinally of the forward end of the alley showing the pin spotter lowered and the pin loading, device positioned in readiness to discharge pins into the spotter;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7-7 on FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary plan view taken along line 8-8 on FIG. 6.

Referring initially more particularly to FIGS. 1-4, the invention bowling alley, designated generally 10, is shown supported on a tabletop with the parts positioned in readiness for play. Alley 10 comprises an elongated hollow main frame 11 provided with a long, flat playing surface 12 having ball gutters 13,13 along its opposite lateral edges. Underlying playing surface 12 is an inclined ball return chute 14 terminating at the rear end of the alley in a ball collecting pocket 15 readily accessible to the player through the open rear end 17 of the alley.

As is customary, the playing surface or alley 12 terminates short of the forward end and overlies a ball and pin separator 20 and a shallow pin tray 21. The latter is accessible to the player through an opening 22 at the forward end of the alley. This opening is normally closed by a drape or curtain 23 supported at its top on the lower edge of the back stop 25.

Pivotally supported on a shaft 24 across the forward end of the alley is a combined pin spotter and stop 25. A projection 27 is positioned to engage the forward transverse edge of separator 20 when pin spotter 25 is elevated to its normal playing position shown in 25. In

this connection it will be noted that the pin spotter is counterbalanced slightly counterclockwise so as to remain in a stable upright position. When so positioned, the rear underside of the pin spotter will be observed to have a plurality of ball and pin deflector bosses 29 overlying separator 20 in position to arrest ricocheting balls and pins. The nose portion 30 of these bosses are so shaped and positioned as to deflect any pins or balls tending to rebound and to return such errant members back onto the separator rather than permitting them to return to the alley surface 12..

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 7 it will be noted that bosses 29 are arranged to interleave and internest with slots 32 formed lengthwise of the ball and pin separator 20. Slots 32, as is made clear in FIG. 5, are narrower than the diameter of ball 24 but wider than the diameter of bowling pins 35. Accordingly, the pins fall through the slots and collect in tray 21 whereas balls 24 roll downwardly and rearwardly along slots 32 and thence back to the playing position where they collect in pocket 15.

The ball and pin deflecting bosses 29 are formed in one piece and are adjustably secured to pin spotter 25 by screws 36 (FIGS. 5 and 7).

The upper end of pin spotter 25 is generally triangular and provided with 10 pin spotting passages 39 properly sized and shaped to guide and accurately position pins 35 at the forward end of the alley playing surface 12. It will be understood that the pins may be individually placed in the spotting passages 39. Preferably however, a pin loading device is employed for this purpose.

As herein shown, the pin loading device, designated generally 40, is hand-held and comprises a one-piece molded main body 41 of triangular-shape having finger-seating notches along two converging sides. An L- shaped pin release plate 44 is held captive against the lower side of the loading device with limited freedom to move lengthwise of the loading device as permitted by slots 45 and screws 46 holding these two parts slidably assembled. A spring 47 normally urges the two parts to the extended position shown in FIGS. 6 and 8 wherein the pins are retained captive in sockets 48. It

will be understood that the similarly related sockets 49 of the loading device are arranged to register with the lower ends of the pin sockets 48 when the slide member 44 is in its normal position as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8.

However, when the upturned end of slide 44is pressedagainst the adjacent rear end of main body 44, openings 48 and 49 are in accurate alignment and the pins 35 are free to fall downwardly past the slots.

The manner of loading the pin spotter will be clearly apparent from the foregoing description of this device and of the pin loading device 40. The player not en-- gaged in play 'normally holds the loading device in his hand while reaching past curtain 23 and withdrawing pins from tray 21 and placing them in individual ones of sockets 48. Accordingly, as soon as a player has finished his turn, the pins are in readiness for resetting. The player holding the loading device first pivots the pin spotter 25 to its horizontal position and then superimposes the loading device over the spotter. In so doing, he usually holds his thumb against the upturned rear end 44 of the slide with his forefinger and index fingers straddling and engaging a pair of notches on opposed forward portions of the loader. He then lowers the loader over the spotter with the protruding ends of his index and forefinger engaging the opposite lateral edges of the spotter. He then knows that the loader pin sockets 48 are properly in registry with the spotter sockets 39 whereupon he presses his thumb to release the pin into the pin spotter sockets. As soon as the pins come to rest in accurate positions on the playing surface he lifts the loader away and returns spotter 25 to its counterbalanced upright position.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, there is shown a leveling device 52 comprising a bolt 53 having a large head covered with soft resilient material 54. Threaded over the shank is a nut 55 secured to an arm 56 insertable endwise into a slotted opening 57 present in each lateral side of the main frame 11 of the alley. The edge of head 54 can be engaged with the thumb and finger to rotate it after arm 56 has been inserted in one side or the other of the main frame. A spirit level 59 is placed on spring surface 12 during the leveling operation and bolt 53 is rotated until the spirit level indicates that the alley is accurately level transversely of the alley.

The ball delivery chute 60 is channel-shape in crosssection and suitably shaped lengthwise thereof for use in delivering the ball by gravity onto the playing surface '12. The discharge end is provided with a soft rubber stop 61 (FIG. 2) which is engageable with any selected point on the transverse rear end of the alley. The bowling ball 34 is placed in the upper end of chute 60 with its upper portion exposed in cutouts 64.The player holds the ball against the upper end of the chute by his thumb or forefinger and may impart a spin in either di- As will be readily apparent from the foregoing, the player may hold the chute 60 at any suitable angle relative to the horizontal as well as relative to the longitudinal axis of the alley. He may also place the chute with the stop 61 firmly against any partv of the rear end of alley as he sights down the length of the chute and past the customary indicator markings 65 on the alley sur face as deemed by the player best suited to have the ball strike any one or more of the pins.

While the particular miniature bowling alley herein shown and disclosed in detail is fully capable of attaining the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiment of the inventionand that no limitations are intended to the detail of construction or design herein shown other than as defined in the appended claims.

[claimz 1. A game of skill comprising a portable bowling alley having a long flat horizontal playing surface lying in the same plane from end to end thereof free of depressions, a combination pin spotter and ball stop movably supported at one end thereof, said pin spotter being normally supported in a generally upright stable position with the ball stop thereof on a level above said playing surface and shaped and positioned to deflect the ball and pins downwardly toward a pin receiving tray u'nderlying said playing surface thereby thwarting tendencies of some balls and pins to rebound back onto the alley during play, said pin spotter being swingable rear wardly to a horizontal position overlying said alley about an axis extending crosswise of said alley on a level spaced substantially thereabove and having pin holes therein positioned to spot bowling pins in proper playing position across the forward end of said alley and being swingable forwardly to said generally upright ball stopping position thereof without displacing the pins from their respective spotted positions, and handheld pin loading means separate from said pin spotter and having means for supporting l0 bowling pins in proper position and in readiness for simultaneous release into said pin spotter while the latter is generally in the horizontal position thereof.

2. A game as defined in claim 1 characterized in that said pin loading means is sized for grasping in one hand crosswise of the top face thereof and in that said loading means corresponds generally in contour to said pin spotter for the convenience of the user in aligning the pin openings therein with the pin opening in said pin spotter.

3. A game as defined in claim 1 characterized in the provision of ball and pin separator means overlying said pin tray which separator means is inclined downwardly and rearwardly and having slots through which bowling pins canfall but smaller than said bowling ball, and said separator means being operable to initiate the return of a ball by gravity to the player and to permit pins to fall therethrough into said pin tray.

4. A game as defined in claim 3 characterized in that said pin tray has an inclined bottom facilitating the collection of pins in the lowest portion thereof, and an access opening to said pin tray through which pins can be conveniently removed therefrom. 

1. A game of skill comprising a portable bowling alley having a long flat horizontal playing surface lying in the same plane from end to end thereof free of depressions, a combination pin spotter and ball stop movably supported at one end thereof, said pin spotter being normally supported in a generally upright stable position with the ball stop thereof on a level above said playing surface and shaped and positioned to deflect the ball and pins downwardly toward a pin receiving tray underlying said playing surface thereby thwarting tendencies of some balls and pins to rebound back onto the alley during play, said pin spotter being swingable rearwardly to a horizontal position overlying said alley about an axis extending crosswise of said alley on a level spaced substantially thereabove and having pin holes therein positioned to spot bowling pins in proper playing position across the forward end of said alley and being swingable forwardly to said generally upright ball stopping position thereof without displacing the pins from their respective spotted positions, and hand-held pin loading means separate from said pin spotter and having means for supporting 10 bowling pins in proper position and in readiness for simultaneous release into said pin spotter while the latter is generally in the horizontal position thereof.
 2. A game as defined in claim 1 characterized in that said pin loading means is sized for grasping in one hand crosswise of the top face thereof and in that said loading means corresponds generally in contour to said pin spotter for the convenience of the user in aligning the pin openings therein with the pin opening in said pin spotter.
 3. A game as defined in claim 1 characterized in the provision of ball and pin separator means overlying said pin tray which separator means is inclined downwardly and rearwardly and having slots through which bowling pins can fall but smaller than said bowling ball, and said separator means being operable to initiate the return of a ball by gravity to the player and to permit pins to fall therethrough into said pin tray.
 4. A game as defined in claim 3 characterized in that said pin tray has an inclined bottom facilitating the collection of pins in the lowest portion thereof, and an access opening to said pin tray through which pins can be conveniently removed therefrom. 